4th Arrow [written/action-ish]

[threeweeksago]

Snow sucks. I don't get why people make such a big deal out of this season. Everything looks dead and everyone's freezing their asses off the moment they step outside. Where's the fun in that?

Seriously. Fuck winter.

[Ellie's walking as she's writing this (and any replies to comments), and isn't paying much attention to the decorations. Not that she'd really know what they were all about, so she could be walking right under a bit of mistletoe without even noticing...]

Comments

[dog_eat_dog]

[Tess is curled up on the couch watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and playing cellphone games, mug of coffee by her side. Dictated:]

You know, winter is a lot more fun when going outside and being cold is a choice. Appreciate it for what it is now that you've got heating and hot chocolate and a real winter coat, kiddo.

[A pause.]

Did we get you a coat yet?

[written forever]

[threeweeksago]

[She's sticking to writing for this one. Even though her words make her attitude clear, she's not too keen on revealing just how badly the weather's affecting her.]

I have a choice on whether or not to go outside now, and I still think it sucks.

Yeah, of course. That's like the first thing I did when it started getting really fucking cold out.

[dog_eat_dog]

[A pause. Well, it stands to reason that Ellie looks after herself, but Tess still feels bad for not thinking of Ellie before Joel. She'd made sure Joel had a good winter coat, after all. A proper goose down one, seeing as Tess maintained that no Texan would never understand a real winter.]

Then don't go outside. Come here and watch stupid Christmas movies with me.

[threeweeksago]

Why do you want to watch a movie if it's stupid? Doesn't that ruin the enjoyment of watching movies?

[indirectcause]

[Oh hey, Ellie, guess who's going to bump right into you? Ben has the opposite problem, he's heard about the decorations and it eyeing all of them with his usual brand of excessive paranoia. He blinks when he realises who he's knocked into, the worry vanishing, albeit for a moment. She had that effect on him]

Oh. Ellie. Hey.

[threeweeksago]

[Ellie stumbles back a few steps, and it shows just how distracted she is by her own thoughts that she doesn't snap at him immediately. Of course, when she looks up and sees who exactly it is that walked into her, any fight that she would have had would've died right there.]

Oh, hey Ben. [She actually manages a halfhearted smile.] Uh... sorry about that. I got a bit distracted.

[indirectcause]

[His smile fades slightly, concern marring it a little]

Are you okay?

[Written]

[ofthursday]

[Castiel is stuck on bedrest but well enough now to be bored rather than just sleeping all the time, so what better way to pass time than talk to people through the journals? Especially on such a mundane topic as snow.]

The snow is peaceful, but it is cold. It was not something I noticed before but is somewhat inconvenient now that I do.

[Written]

[threeweeksago]

Peaceful? Man, have you ever gotten stuck outside when it's snowing? It totally sucks.

[Written]

[ofthursday]

I have been outside when it is snowing, yes. Is it just the cold you dislike about it?

dictated

[willrememberthat]

It's not that bad.

[written forever]

[threeweeksago]

For some people, I guess. But not for me.

[willrememberthat]

Why not?

written;

[eaglet]

Winter holds the beginning of the new year. It is a time to reflect on the past year and to clear your mind for the year that is to come.

In practical terms, it is also the best time of the year to hunt.

written;

[threeweeksago]

Huh. You know, "clearing your mind for the year to come" is a lot easier said than done.

[Considering it's her memories of the past that are troubling her more than the season itself.]

But I can agree with you on the hunting thing, at least.

written;

[eaglet]

Of course it is not that simple, but it is the best time to try.

[Anyway -- hunting! Easier to talk about.]

It does not seem as though many people here are accustomed to hunting. What game have you where you come from?

written;

[focusrighthere]

Need anything?

[She's never talked about it much and they don't talk about these things much as a rule (one Joel spent a lot of effort emphasizing like it's supposed to be set in stone; things happen, you move on) but he's not going to ignore this, either. He's changed. They've both changed and winter hit Ellie hard.]

written;

[threeweeksago]

[She does want to talk to him about all this someday. But she's not really sure when 'someday' would be. So... for now, she still has to hold back.]

Dunno. I could use something to take my mind off shit for a while, though.

written;

[focusrighthere]

What do you feel like?

[Joel doesn't have kid-friendly methods of dealing with this shit. Best to let Ellie steer things.]

[the_effect_she_has]

[All you get from this end, Ellie, is a laugh. A full blown laugh, that ripples along the page.]

[threeweeksago]

[... Well. She wasn't expecting that at all.]

Uh... what's so funny?

[the_effect_she_has]

[She wiped her eyes, breathing in and out.]

Just ... 'Fuck winter'. Straight to the point.

written

[rightchoices]

Something bothering you, Ellie?

[ Not that he knows her super well, or really has any right to ask, but... ]

written

[threeweeksago]

Bad memories. Still a pretty fresh wound, I guess.

written

[rightchoices]

Not a fan of winter, then. Must be rougher than usual if you're from a place that gets much snow.